THE KNEE injury that continues to disrupt Shane Horgan’s participation with Leinster has kept him out of their Heineken Cup squad, which was recently submitted to the ERC for official approval. The Ireland and Leinster winger has had a persistent problem with the knee and is not included in the first official squad for the European competition.
Leinster will begin their defence of the trophy against Montpellier on November 12th.
Coach Joe Schmidt has submitted 38 names, the maximum for the competition, and at least 10 of those players must be front row. The squad, however, can be changed as players become injured and return from injury.
However, there is a limit to how many can come and go in the pool stages.
The Leinster squad trained in wet conditions in UCD yesterday ahead of Friday’s trip to Murrayfield to face Edinburgh in the RaboDirect PRO12 (7.30pm). A number of returning World Cup players are set for inclusion in the match day panel.
It is something of a novelty that Schmidt can now have a real choice of players with the fresher bodies from New Zealand, scrumhalves, Isaac Boss and Eoin Reddan, hooker Seán Cronin, secondrow, Leo Cullen, flanker Shane Jennings, utility back Fergus McFadden and outhalf Jonathan Sexton likely inclusions for the trip to the Scottish capital.
The team will be named on Thursday lunchtime.
Leinster have been forced use inexperienced academy players in their opening matches of the league with Schmidt anticipating that the majority of Leinster’s 14 Ireland representatives will return to action either this week or ahead of the Munster derby in Aviva Stadium on Friday week.
LEINSTER SQUAD:FORWARDS: Leo Auva'a, Isaac Boss, Damian Browne, Seán Cronin, Leo Cullen, Aaron Dundon, Jamie Hagan, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Shane Jennings, Jack McGrath, Kevin McLaughlin, Seán O'Brien, Jack O'Connell, Mike Ross, Rhys Ruddock, Richardt Strauss, Dominic Ryan, Steven Sykes, Devin Toner, Heinke Van Der Merwe, Nathan White.
BACKS: Mat Berquist, Fionn Carr, Andrew Conway, John Cooney, Gordon D’Arcy, Luke Fitzgerald, David Kearney, Rob Kearney, Brendan Macken, Ian Madigan, Fergus McFadden, Isa Nacewa, Brian O’Driscoll, Eoin O’Malley, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton.
